Hi there,

Here are my favorite scripts 🙂

Bonus Tools: it is not a single script but the most important Plug-in for Maya

SOuP: Maya without limits (all right not quite, but a useful plug-in pack)

1. Rename (MEL)
   Rod Green’s script for complex renaming tasks (really great)
2. Delete Turtle (MEL)
   A simple script which removes the unwanted Turtle nodes
   lockNode -l off TurtleDefaultBakeLayer;
delete TurtleDefaultBakeLayer;
3. Auto Scale for Directional Light (MEL)
   A simple script which automatically scales the locator (easier to see)
4. Correct the Shape nodes name (Python)
5. DOF (MEL)
   A useful Depth of Field related script (thanks Domonkos for the help)
6. Convert Shader to Arnold (aiStandard) (Python)
   A shader converter script from Solid Angle
7. Lights for Viewport 2.0
   A simple script which creates a Directional Light, an Ambient Light and set some camera and light attribute (nicer shadow in Viewport 2.0)
   expression -s "perspShape.farClipPlane=perspShape.nearClipPlane*100000";
defaultDirectionalLight(1, 1,1,1, "0", 0,0,0, 0);
defaultAmbientLight(1, 0.45, 1,1,1, "0", 0,0,0, "1");
setAttr "ambientLightShape1.color" -type double3 1 1 1 ;
setAttr "ambientLightShape1.color" -type double3 0.577 0.869843 1 ;
setAttr "ambientLightShape1.intensity" 0.34;
select -r directionalLight1 ;
rotate -r -ws -fo -64.777186 0 0 ;
setAttr "directionalLightShape1.useDepthMapShadows" 1;
setAttr "directionalLightShape1.dmapResolution" 4096;
setAttr "directionalLightShape1.dmapFilterSize" 5;
setAttr "directionalLightShape1.useRayTraceShadows" 1;
setAttr "directionalLightShape1.locatorScale" 50;
select -add ambientLight1 ;
move -r 0 500 0 ;
modelEditor -e -shadows true -displayLights all modelPanel4;
8. Kludge City
   Ed Whetsone’s cool script which is a Procedural City Generator
9. djPFXUVs
   Great UV randomizer (additional information)
10. Adjacent Selection (MEL)
    Useful script for adjacent selections.
    
11. Ming Tang’s procedural modeling scripts (MEL)
    A script pack for procedural modeling (cool stuff)
12. Select every nth component (MEL)
    This is a core feature of Maya (nothing special), but you can’t find it in any menu (as far as i know 🙂 ).
    The number 2 means every second component (change the number as you like).
    polySelectEdgesEveryN "edgeLoop" 2;
polySelectEdgesEveryN "edgeRing" 2;
polySelectEdgesEveryN "edgeBorder" 2;
polySelectEdgesEveryN "edgeLoopOrBorder" 2;
13. Simple Studio Backgound (MEL)
    //Create a small backgroud for product shots.
polyPlane -w 1 -h 1 -sx 10 -sy 10 -ax 0 1 0 -cuv 2 -ch 1;
setAttr "polyPlane1.height" 40;
setAttr "polyPlane1.width" 40;
setAttr "polyPlane1.subdivisionsHeight" 50;
setAttr "polyPlane1.subdivisionsWidth" 50;
setAttr "pPlaneShape1.castsShadows" 0;
select -r -sym pPlane1 ;
nonLinear -type bend -lowBound -1 -highBound 1 -curvature 90;
setAttr "bend1.highBound" 1;
setAttr "bend1.lowBound" 0;
rotate -r -os -fo 0 -90 0 ;
rotate -r -os -fo 0 0 90 ;
select -r -sym pPlane1 ;
nonLinear -type bend -lowBound -1 -highBound 1 -curvature 110;
rotate -r -os -fo 0 -90 0 ;
rotate -r -os -fo -90 0 0 ;
move -r 0 0 7 ;
select -add bend1Handle;
select -add bend2Handle;
select -add pPlane1;
parent;
select -r -sym pPlane1 ;
move -r 0 0 -10 ;
select -r bend1Handle bend2Handle ;
HideSelectedObjects;
    
14. spPaint3d (python)
    Great script for random placement (a bit irrelevant since Maya 2017 Update 3/MASH Placer node, but I still love it)
15. Unlimited Draw Segments for every selected Paint Effects Stroke (MEL)
    string $pfxSel[] = `ls -sl`;string $pfxSel[] = `ls -sl`;string $current;for ($current in $pfxSel){ setAttr ($current + ".maxDrawSegments") 0;}
    
16. ParticleInstancerBaking (MEL)
    You can’t live without this.
17. Water Drop Generator (Python)
    Cool 🙂
18. Generate Bind Pose (MEL)
    dagPose -save -bindPose;
    
19. djRivet
    You want this believe me. 🙂